1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to computers and to telecommunications and, more particularly, to methods and systems for assigning multiple tasks to one or more technicians when repairing a telecommunications network.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a telecommunications network requires repair, technicians are currently assigned based upon schedule, turf, and skills. The current Integrated Dispatch System analyzes a technician's work schedule and the estimated time to complete a task. The Integrated Dispatch System, for example, analyzes the technician's work schedule and determines how much available time the technician can work. Once the technician's schedule is known, the Integrated Dispatch System then searches for tasks that match the technician's skill level and turf. Lastly, the Integrated Dispatch System then selects a task that can be completed within the technician's available time. The Integrated Dispatch System repeats this process to determine the most efficient assignment of tasks.
An example provides further illustration. Assume the Integrated Dispatch System has three pending tasks (or “jobs”). Each of these three pending jobs is estimated to require three hours to complete (e.g., each job has a three hour “duration”). So, the Integrated Dispatch System has nine hours of work to assign. If the technician works an eight-hour day, the Integrated Dispatch System cannot assign all three jobs to a single technician—the amount of work exceeds the technician's available work time. The technician only receives two jobs, for a total of six hours of work. So, even though the technician works an eight-hour day, the Integrated Dispatch System is constrained and can only assign six hours of work. The Integrated Dispatch System is thus forced to inefficiently assign jobs.
The problem is that the estimated completion times are really averages. Each task has an average time for completion. Sometimes the task requires more than the average time, and sometimes the task requires less than the average time. So, in the above example, even though the technician may be able to complete all three tasks in an eight-hour day, the current Integrated Dispatch System is forced to inefficiently assign tasks based upon the average completion time.
There is, accordingly, a need in the art for an Integrated Dispatch System that permits assigning multiple tasks to a technician, a need for methods and systems that assign tasks independent of a technician's work schedule, and a need for methods and systems that assign tasks independent of the duration of the tasks.